Jordan Spieth in contention at Baltusrol with questionable relief play

Another major golf championship, another rules squabble.

This time it came at the PGA Championship on Friday at Baltusrol Golf Club and involved one of the game’s most high-profile players, Jordan Spieth.

Spieth got himself into weekend contention by shooting a 3-under-par 67 to get to 3 under for the tournament, three shots behind the morning leader, Henrik Stenson.

On the par-four seventh hole – Spieth’s 16th of the day – he sliced tee shot and his ball came to rest in a puddle on a cart path of loose gravel. By rules he is allowed to take relief, and after a nine-minute discussion with rules official Brad Gregory and several drops, Spieth finally prepared to hit his shot.

With his left toe hovering above the puddle, Spieth hit a good shot that went through the green into the rough at the back. He couldn’t get up-and-down and made only his second bogey of the round.

On the TNT broadcast, commentator Gary McCord was the first to question whether Spieth had taken full relief from the puddle because his toe was so close to it, and by rules a player must take full relief from the problem area.

However, there was no further discussion with Spieth by officials during the round and he was not spoken to about it in the scoring trailer. He signed for a 67.

Spieth said he was “100%” confident he played by the rules.

“I would have never hit it if I was not told it was OK by a rules official,” Spieth said. “He told me it was fine. I really don’t know why we’re talking about this to be honest. It was a casual water relief drop that took a little extra time. I guess obviously people are talking to you thinking it should be a problem, but it was no problem.”

The PGA of America later issued a statement about this ruling:

“Jordan selected a club and demonstrated a swing and direction that he would have used, if there were no casual water present (Decision 24-2b/1). This stroke and direction was toward the hole. After going thru [sic] the relief procedure, the ball was in play on the artificially surfaced path and clear from his stance and swing for the direction and type of shot he originally chose to play. Once the ball was dropped and in play, Jordan had the option to select another type of stroke or another type of club to actually play the shot and he chose to play a stroke to the right of a tree in an attempt to try to hook the ball toward the green.

“In this case, Jordan elected to play in a different direction of play based on Decision 20-2c/0.8. Jordan was entitled to either play the ball as it lay, even if his stance was still in the casual water or, he could have elected to take relief again from the casual water under this different type of stroke that he then elected to play.”

Hole placement error

After the first group off the 10th tee in the morning played their second shots into the hole, the PGA of America realized that the cup had been cut in the wrong location. In turn, that did not agree with the pin sheet given to the players and their caddies.

The PGA had to quickly revise the tee sheets and distribute them to all of the groups. It later issued a statement that said Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer, met with the players in first group after they signed their cards “to offer an explanation, express his disappointment, and apologize to them.”

Colt Knost wasn’t in the mood to be very forgiving. He bogeyed the 10th, saying he assumed the pin sheet was correct, adding that he had a difficult 210-yard shot in the rain and couldn’t see the green very well. He shot 73 and made the cut of two over on the number.

“It sucks,” Knost told a Golf Digest reporter. “It’s a big deal and it shouldn’t happen in tournaments like this. It shouldn’t happen in any tournament.”

Lefty’s wild drive

Phil Mickelson took an unexpected drive on Shunpike Road.

On his first swing of the day, Mickelson sliced his tee shot so far left that the ball’s first bounce came in the traffic lanes of Shunpike, adjacent to No. 1. He re-teed with a penalty shot, and hit another wayward drive in the trees. A fifth shot ended up wide of the green and Mickelson eventually made triple-bogey seven.

“Total mental block,” Mickelson said of the first tee shot.

As he did after a poor start Thursday, the champion from the 2005 PGA here managed to bounce back, shooting 70 to make the cut at one over.

Notable

Among the prominent players to miss the cut were past major winners Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Darren Clarke, David Toms, John Daly and Graeme McDowell.

England’s Andrew “Beef” Johnston continued his solid play by shooting 69 to be tied for 34th at one under.

None of the 20 PGA club professionals in the field made the cut.

tod.leonard@sduniontribune.com